Rocket City 10K — F20-24: Armijo Runs Away With It

• Suany Armijo won the F20-24 age group in 52:54 (8:31/mi), finishing nearly 3 minutes clear of runner-up Emily Vasquez.
• The top four were separated by just 5:37, while a 4:34 gap then opened to 5th place.
• All 11 finishers ranged from 52:54 to 1:39:03 — a spread of 46 minutes across the age group.

Suany Armijo of Cornersville, TN set the tone early and never let up. Her 8:31/mi average was the class of the F20-24 field, and her 52:54 finish left little doubt about who owned this race. Emily Vasquez, racing on home turf in Huntsville, gave chase but crossed in 55:49 — a solid effort in her own right, though 2:55 back of Armijo at the line.

The battle for the podium's third step was genuinely competitive. Anna Mulford (57:26) held off Kaitlyn Estes (58:31) by just over a minute, with both runners averaging sub-9:30 pace on a mild December morning. Those four at the front formed a distinct lead pack in the results, pulling well clear of Maribel Vergara in 5th at 1:03:05.

From there, the field spread out across a wide range of paces. Molly Goode (1:04:23) and Jessica Martinez (1:06:33) kept it close through the middle of the pack, while Lisa Ko (1:10:46) and Bailey McCollum (1:13:39) rounded out the top nine within about 23 minutes of the winner. Marianna Mendez and Allison Ogle completed all 11 finishers, with Ogle's 1:39:03 closing out the F20-24 age group on a cool, overcast Huntsville afternoon.